September 12, 2019—In our community we encourage training records and PATs, but should testing be mandatory for service dog teams? In a revealing new article, PSDP’s Brad Morris explains why “Forced service dog testing is not the fix you might think“.

August 5, 2019—Registration for the 2020 PSDP convention in Rock Hill, South Carolina is now open! Join us to make heartwarming and psyche-strengthening memories April 3rd–6th. Register in 2019 for a 25% discount!

March 22, 2019—Convention registration ended March 4th. If you can’t make it to our South Carolina convention this year, at least you can enjoy our new convention videos! The first one is a kind of tour of the convention, while the second is a 60-second peek into the activities on our Public Access Test (PAT).

February 12, 2019—Learn what various types of service dog users have to say about community solidarity. Our Feb. 1st press release now has a captioned recording of our guide dog conference panel, which is also here in tiny form:

January 1, 2019—Channel that positive new-year energy and discover ways to improve the world! Get tips on how to use your interests and strengths with our Easy advocacy how-to. It’s designed to provide a menu of simple options everyone can choose something from. Try it out and make yourself better along the way!

2020 Convention

April 3–6, 2020 in Rock Hill, South Carolina

The convention is a place for friends, old and new.

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Our 2020 convention will be among the friendly faces of Rock Hill, South Carolina! Rock Hill is just over the Carolina border from the Charlotte, NC Airport, which is surprisingly one of the busiest in the world (cheaper flights—but book early!). The convention will take place sandwiching the first weekend in April.

We’ll return to the lovely lodging of the Hilton Garden Inn for our convention, within walking distance of a breadth of eateries, a shopping center, and a large park. Plan to arrive by Friday, April 3rd for the welcome meeting that night (attendance expected) and to leave no earlier than Monday, April 6th (officially scheduled activities run into Sunday night).

Info packet

Our info packet has much of what you want to know about the convention, plus the policies you need to know about if you’re considering joining us. It will be linked here when it’s ready, but until then you can see last year’s to get a good idea of what it’ll be like.

Convention-goers are free to relax as they learn, share, and have fun.

What’s it like? Are there pictures?

PSDP conventions are times to network with service dog handlers through workshops, training, support, and a lot of fun! For a taste of what they’re like, enjoy the quotations below and the 2019 convention pictures—and find more on the pages of previous conventions.

Sponsors

Our 2019 convention was rated 4.639 / 5 overall by convention-goers! They had the following to pass along to those considering joining us at future conventions:

If anyone out there with a PSD or wanting a PSD feels alone or like there is no one that understands or that can relate to them and the way they live or the way they feel and think, come to a PSDP convention and you will find the people that you have been looking for your whole life. That is how it as for me.

The people stood out to me the most. Very helpful, understanding and most of all caring. They cared about not only my comfort and the comfort of my dog but also my safety overall.

The thing that stands out to me is the love and acceptance I feel from my PSDP family. The knowledge I leave with is priceless.

This was a great Convention! We enjoyed everything!

The portion that stood out to me personally was being able to associate and speak with members of my community. Everyone understood to some degree where everyone else was coming from in their problems and triumphs. I felt so at home when I allowed myself to relax.

I look forward to conventions all year long!

PSDP has been an important resource in my service dog journey. Being able to actually meet everyone that have helped me so much over the years was life changing. The convention has helped me feel less alone and more connected with those in my circle. I have expanded my world just a little bit more because of PSDP and the convention has helped confirm that.

I have never been so far away from home yet felt so at home before. This is the best gift I could ever give myself and my service dog.